Introducing New Faculty and Staff! - Karrie Chagnon

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing our new faculty and staff in Roeper news posts. They were nice enough to complete a questionnaire telling us something about themselves and our two Directors, Lower School, Megan Stott and Middle/Upper School Susannah Nichols added first person observations. Thank you all! 

 

 

I will be working as an Academic Interventionist for the Lower School with the school support team. I will be supporting students and teachers in various academic areas. 

What were one or two highlights of your life? 

The main highlight of life is the family we’ve created. I married my husband in 2014 and we had our son in 2016. We have created quite the team and love going on adventures together. 

I am open to many places in the world to live for a year. Initially, I imagined somewhere picturesque such as Switzerland or Austria. I would love to have access to the mountains and the towns around them. I love to spend time in small towns, getting to know the people, traditions and lifestyles. But I am also drawn to many other European countries and cities as well as Asian countries and cities. At the end of my college career, I spent two months in Ghana, teaching and exploring. I would love to go back and spend more time there as well. 

 

I grew up on the east side of Michigan, at the base of the thumb, called the Blue Water Area. It’s a small city named Marysville where much of my family still lives. I frequently visit my friends and family that live there and now as an adult, am amazed at the area and beauty of the river and lake.

 

 

When I am by myself, I enjoy running, reading, watching tv and catching up with friends. When I am with my family, we enjoy traveling, mostly to Northern Michigan. We spend many weekends in the Traverse City area, as well as Standish. The more we can be outdoors, the better! My family and I enjoy biking, golfing, hiking, ORV trail riding and playing games in the yard. It has also been fun watching my son get involved in some sports and being part of a team.

 

 

As an interventionist, I become excited and passionate about all the skills or subjects I teach. I typically focus on reading, writing and math and during each of these subjects separately, I enjoy the subject greatly. Many times, during instruction and practice, I might feel like it is my favorite subject to teach. But in the end, I think reading might be my favorite. I love teaching the word reading skills, comprehension skills and the love of reading. It is awesome to see it all come together for students!

   

 

There is no question that Roeper holds great values and philosophies for the school and their community. I could see from my research that students and staff are given great opportunities for learning. But the main aspect that appealed to me about Roeper is the kind and caring community. Each time I met with a team from Roeper, I felt welcomed and comfortable. I knew that if I could feel that from the interview process, that I would feel that all year long.